No licence has been issued for 5G - NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has debunked report of the telecommunication industry switching to fifth-generation (5G) network on May 12.

In a statement issued by NCC director of public affairs Henry Nkemadu, the regulatory agency stated that there is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment.

He further stated that the NCC is technology-neutral and only assigns spectrum to operators for deployment of any service when allocated by the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC).

The statement reads;

“The attention of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been drawn to a mischievous statement making the rounds on social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites that the Nigerian telecoms industry is going to switch on Fifth Generation (5G) in Lagos this Sunday 10th, Monday 11th or Tuesday 12th May 2020.

“The statement from the faceless individuals or groups cannot be further from the truth. The commission has unequivocally stated that there is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment.

“The trial among others was to study and observe any health or security challenges the 5G network might present. Relevant stakeholders including members of the security agencies were invited to participate during the trial.

“NCC has not issued any licence for 5G in Nigeria and therefore, the mobile network operators (MNOs) cannot switch on such technology.

“NCC is technology-neutral. As such, we don’t license technology but assigns spectrum to operators for deployment of any service when allocated by the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC).”